Take your cup to chai shop, say no to trash
Sunitha Rao R | TNN | Nov 5, 2018, 11:35 IST
Representative imageBENGALURU: Stepping out of home? Carry your own tea/coffee mug. Bengaluru Eco Team (BET) has started the Bring Your Own Cup (BYOC) initiative; its members carry a steel cup whenever they step out to prevent usage of disposable paper/plastic cups and avoid trash.
The trend has been picked up by Chai Point joints in the city, which offer Rs 5 discount for every order if the customer gets his/her own cup.
It all started in early October when BET members, an informal group of eco-warriors, approached food and beverage companies. "The objective was to flaunt your cup in a restaurant, making it a cool thing," says BET member Seema Sharma. Amuleek Singh Bijral, Chai Point, co-founder and CEO, said if the initiative encourages even 5-10 percent of its buyers to bring their own cups, it would be a huge hit. "Over 4.5 lakh cups of chai and other beverages are sold every day at our 110 outlets. If 10 percent of customers respond to the BYOC call, that amounts to 45,000 people."
It's a great move, says waste man agement specialist and founder of Soil and Health, Vasuki Iyengar. "In all awareness programmes, we speak about BYOC. In fact, many have started taking selfies with their own cup. But yes, there are some practical issues that have to be taken clear of - hygiene, clean cups and availability of water to wash them," Vasuki adds.
R ishita Sharma, founder of Green Utsav who has been campaigning for BYOC, says if restaurants don't allow customers to wash cups, they can be wrapped in paper/cloth cover and taken home.
The trend has been picked up by Chai Point joints in the city, which offer Rs 5 discount for every order if the customer gets his/her own cup.
It all started in early October when BET members, an informal group of eco-warriors, approached food and beverage companies. "The objective was to flaunt your cup in a restaurant, making it a cool thing," says BET member Seema Sharma. Amuleek Singh Bijral, Chai Point, co-founder and CEO, said if the initiative encourages even 5-10 percent of its buyers to bring their own cups, it would be a huge hit. "Over 4.5 lakh cups of chai and other beverages are sold every day at our 110 outlets. If 10 percent of customers respond to the BYOC call, that amounts to 45,000 people."
It's a great move, says waste man agement specialist and founder of Soil and Health, Vasuki Iyengar. "In all awareness programmes, we speak about BYOC. In fact, many have started taking selfies with their own cup. But yes, there are some practical issues that have to be taken clear of - hygiene, clean cups and availability of water to wash them," Vasuki adds.
R ishita Sharma, founder of Green Utsav who has been campaigning for BYOC, says if restaurants don't allow customers to wash cups, they can be wrapped in paper/cloth cover and taken home.
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